Spare Guts

LOL.  "Spare guts" is what my Dad always used to call asparagus when I was a kid.  No wonder I always thought it was gross and kept in on my 'will not eat' list. 

Until DH came along, and, after many years of marriage, asked why I never made asparagus.  He insisted that it was good.  By then, I had figured out that lot of things I did not like to eat as a kid were pretty good if cooked properly.  Fresh was usually better than from a can.

So, when we moved to this little place here and I was thinking of long term food growing, I put in a small asparagus bed.  The next spring, I discovered that yes, asparagus is good.  In fact, harvested from the garden, put right into the steamer, and served within about 1/2 hr of harvest, it isn't just good, it's awesome!

How awesome is it?  It's so awesome that my kids act like it's the best treat in the world!  They gobble it up.  Even when, late in the season, some of it starts to get a bit woody, they will slice it open and suck out the soft centers of the cooked stalks.

So awesome that last year I expanded my asparagus bed by 50 more crowns.  Hopefully in another year I will have so much asparagus that I can pickle some.  DH loves pickled asparagus.

Each year, we wait anxiously for the asparagus to peek out of the ground again.  I've been checking weekly for about a month (even though I know April is too early here).  Since May started, I've been checking every 3-4 days. 

Guess what I found yesterday?  :0D 

Spare Guts!